If you have a heavy-duty vehicle capable of towing, then you’re perfectly positioned to improve your camping game with a towable RV. This option lets you have the benefit of having your passenger car or truck with you during your vacation so you can go on day trips or run errands without the weight and bulk of a self-contained RV to manage.
The market is loaded with plenty of great options, from the smallest of compact campers to spacious and luxurious fifth wheels. It can be difficult to figure out what you’re after and what will best suit your particular lifestyle and budget.
Your local towable RV dealer for the Denver area is Trailer Source, with locations in Wheat Ridge, Erie, Colorado Springs and Lakewood, CO. To help you make the right choice on the perfect towable RV for you and your family, we’ve broken down the three main types with their respective pros and cons below.
Travel Trailers
The most common towed recreational vehicle style is the simple travel trailer, and we are proud to be your local travel trailer dealer. These come in a number of different styles and sizes. You’ll recognize them by their bumper-pull hitch that can hook up to pretty much any passenger vehicle, although you’ll want to be conscious of the maximum weight that your vehicle is capable of towing before you purchase one.
This is the most basic option, with different styles to match a variety of budgets and group sizes. The least expensive options will be compact teardrop trailers or lightweight fold-down campers that have a low profile and are easy for even smaller passenger vehicles to tow. Some models have slide-outs to expand the available space on board.
Towing a travel trailer is not very dangerous with the right experience and caution given. However, the bumper-pull hitch is not the most secure style of hitch, so you may need to attach tow chains to improve security.
Fifth Wheels
The defining aspect of a fifth wheel trailer is the unique coupling system that anchors it to the towing vehicle. Fifth wheel couplings are fitted into a truck bed and have a hitch that locks into the coupling from above. This puts the weight of the hitch over the rear axle of your towing vehicle, which is a much more stable arrangement than that of a simple bumper-pull hitch. However, it does necessitate having a sufficiently large vehicle with a bed to hold the coupling, which may not be practical.
Because some of the weight of the fifth wheel is held over the truck’s suspension, you can more easily maneuver them and they’re extremely stable. They’re also generally the largest towable RVs out there, with luxurious and spacious living quarters that have modern amenities. The cons are that you’ll need a big storage space for them and that they’re also one of the most expensive options. If you’d like to learn more about this style of RV, be sure to visit Trailer Source, your local fifth wheel dealer!
Toy Haulers
This is more of a subset of the above two styles. Toy haulers may have a bumper-pull hitch or a fifth wheel coupling, generally depending on their size. These trailers have a separate enclosed cargo bay at the rear that’s designed to haul around powersports vehicles like ATVs, UTVs and dirt bikes. If you love off-roading and outdoor riding, this is the rig for you!
The living quarters up front will be a bit smaller to make space for the garage area, but they’re generally well-appointed and comfortable. The drawbacks depend on the type of hitch they have, as noted above. They also tend to be more expensive.
We hope our guide has helped you to figure out which option may be best for you. Visit one of our four locations to see our full stock of various towable RVs for sale, including travel trailers, toy haulers and fifth wheels for sale! Trailer Source welcomes our customers coming from the greater Denver metropolitan area with our dealerships in the cities of Colorado Springs, Erie, Lakewood and Wheat Ridge.
